NYC Biker

"City Biker"  16x20" Acrylic  

Ray's Pizza Route

"Ray's Pizza Route"  16x20" Acrylic  Purchase Info

It's memorial day. 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. I catch a scent of barbecues, and hear the faint sound of oldies playing on a radio... all this from my open studio window. Here I am, painting away. This is my idea of a holiday. I gave up pretending to be like everyone else a long time ago. That being said, I do have other ideas - but this one ranks way up there.

Rooftop View of Chrysler Building

"Rooftop Party"  Acrylic on Panel  8x8" (sold)

Sometimes painting can start to seem too left-brained and serious ... when that happens I like to pull out the stops and just play with color, shapes and textures. This was one of those anything goes paintings. If it looks like I had fun ... I did!

A looser approach to painting Tuscany

"Tuscan Church"  6x6"  Acrylic on Canvas  SOLD

I created this painting in a non-traditional manner, using stamps, cardboard and other items to apply the paint for unusual mark-making.  When it comes to interpreting subject matter in a looser fashion, the paint can be applied in so many different ways that can be unpredictable - in a good way. I've had several people inquire about my upcoming Tuscany workshop and ask if it is acrylics-only. The workshop is not media specific - oils, pastel, mixed media, watercolor - all are welcome. The fundamentals are the same, regardless of media. I will encourage an open minded approach to color - use it intuitively (with some regard to color basics). The workshop is in the lovely Cortona with ancient buildings, rolling hills and breathtaking vistas. Curious about the workshop and the itinerary? Click here. Curious about Cortona? Watch some eye-opening videos on youtube...

Cortona: Island in the Sky
Cortona & Terre delle Leopoldine Part 1
Painting en Plein Air in Italy
Painting the Tuscan Landscape
Cortona: Island in the Sky
Steam to Marradi Part 1

Latte Break at the Met

"Latte Break at the Met"  8x10"  Oil  (Sold)

Wednesday was sparkling spring day, and I met my buddy Lois at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to take in a few exhibits. I caught this gal taking a lunch break and silently thanked her for posing for my next painting.

Ivory Teapot

"Ivory Teapot"  Acrylic  8x8"  SOLD

Acrylics have a bad rap for not lending themselves to soft edges. Not true. Here I was messing around with OPEN Gels and paints. Luscious and painterly edges that fade and feather beautifully.

Delivery Dude

"Delivery Dude"  16x20"  Oil  Purchase Info

These guys are everywhere. Really hard workers, their goal is to deliver fast, and if it's food, it must stay HOT. I heard an amazing podcast on NPR that really touched my heart. It's a great listen - I promise, called "Be cool to the Pizza Dude".  My take is be cool to any of these dudes - pizza or whatever.

Text Stop

"Text Stop"  16x20"  Oil on Canvas  SOLD

Last week I was in New Orleans for new product training, sponsored by Golden Paints. We worked with the luscious Williamsburg Paints and QOR Watercolors.  Both products have an amazing pigment load and were a dream to work with.  The above painting was done with Williamsburg Paints. It was really fun working in oils again!

I have several workshops coming up... 

• Paint Fast, Loose and Bold in St. Michaels Md, June 3,4,5  2014. For information contact Valerie Sunderland, valeriesunderland@gmail.com
• Paint Fast, Loose and Bold in Syracuse, NY, June 21,22,23  2014. For information contact Linda Cohen, lpaints311@gmail.com
• Let's Paint the colors of Tuscany in Cortona, Italy, September 24 - Oct. 1 2014. For more info, including the full week's itinerary click here. 

Painting Fast Loose and Bold - now on dvd's

Click to see sample previews of each video

I'm happy to announce that my 3 videos about painting fast, loose and bold are available for purchase at the North Light Shop. They were released in February 2014. In the videos I cover my methods and processes for painting with big brushes, thick paint and in a speedy manner.
Each dvd covers a different lesson:

• Value Techniques - how to design and create value plans (using black, white and grey) as the springboard for an interesting composition. Any good painting rests on a solid value structure. 
• Brushwork Techniques - learn exercises that lead to lively, gestural application of the paint for a bold, contemporary look. I demo brushwork methods in several small paintings.
• Color Techniques - how to use various harmonic schemes based on color combinations derived from the color wheel. I demo 4 paintings using various color schemes

In a soon to-be-posted blog post, I will answer some common questions that I have received from many people such as "How do you keep your acrylics wet and juicy for so long?"  And "what is that container you keep your paints in?" Stay tuned for answers to those questions and others.

Window Shopping in NYC

"Window Shopping"  16x20" Acrylic  Purchase Info

I stuck the little pooch in at the last minute, maybe because my last painting had one... yes, the finishing touch!

The Guy Walk

"The Guy Walk"  16x20"  Acrylic on Canvas  SOLD

While I was painting this I totally assumed the dog was a male, and had this title in my head from the start. Why, I don't know, it just felt like a "guy moment" in the city.  

Still life painting demo

"Happy Family"  Acrylic  8x10" Purchase Info

This weekend I taught a "How to paint fast, loose and bold" workshop. Here is my demo from the first day. We had a fun group and everyone did plenty of exercises to loosen up by using less strokes, bigger brushes, more paint, and working faster. Thats always the hard part - getting everyone to load up their paint brushes with lotsa paint. I tell them to pretend they have stock in the paint company. And when that doesn't work I've got an exercise or two up my sleeve that makes it impossible to "dab" with small brushes. Pictured below is our happy family from the Art League of Nassau County, plus Katie from Michigan hovering above (who took the photo).

Three White Houses

"Three White Houses"  Oil   9x12 SOLD

Yes, they actually are white. I was in a fauvist mood and pumped up the color. Why not... its fun!

Last Class

Blue bottles and Bowl   Acrylic 9x9"  SOLD

Today was the last (local) class I will be teaching for a couple months. It was actually a complementary make-up session for all those who missed a class or two during the 8 week period. About 1/2 the class  showed up -  so I had time to paint too. Then we all went to the diner for lunch. I couldn't ask for a nicer group of gals to work with. Some of them are coming to my workshop in Italy  this September.  Register now if you want to join us, class size is limited.

White on White

"White Cups"  Acrylic  8x8" (Sold)

Today I took a one day workshop on painting whites. There were several still life setups in the room to paint from, all white on white. I chose the cups. It is so fascinating to see all the various shades of subtle colored greys - they are actually there if you look for them, but elusive unless you keep comparing different parts of the setup while painting.

Critter Comforts

Carmel Mission  Acrylic  8.5x6.5" Purchase Info

It's nice to be back home. Seems I've been on the road for quite a while. I'm just returning from a great workshop in Cary, North Carolina, we covered a lot of territory. In the beginning of a workshop I ask each person what their goals are, take notes, then check with each person on the last day to make sure their goals were accomplished. Everyone was happy!
    Just as the workshop was ending, I was asked to do a final demo. With only 1/2 hour left, I picked a photo that is a little outside my comfort zone, and told everyone that I was not feeling confident about doing this demo, especially so fast, but I'd do it anyways, since I had asked them to be brave, experimental and non-judgmental about their work and I should do the same. I didn't have time to sketch it out and make sure I got the drawing correct, but at least I did have a small 3-value thumbnail sketch to refer to. I used a 2 inch brush and finished in exactly 35 minutes. I say "finished" but it wasn't, really. Working so fast and not cleaning out my brush much in between colors made for a muddy looking sky and some too-neutralized greens.
     So last night I went to my studio and spent a few minutes cleaning up some of the colors and adjusting some values. I also changed the value of the sky from a light to a middle value, which made emphasized the stucco wall and helped the composition. Below is a photo of the demo painting and the value sketch, and above is the finish, with better color, using some smaller brushes for flowers and vegetation. I like the final painting and feel like I stretched a little. I'm glad I stuck my neck out and tried something I hadn't had time to plan out, especially as a final demo in front of 16 people. The moral of my story is, its essential to move outside your comfort zone if you want to grow. The only risk is not taking one.  I have a lot of favorite sayings about facing fear but one of my very favorites is: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."  Now if I could just motivate my critters, who are clearly stuck in theirs!

 

 

How to put figures into an urban landscape painting

Behind the New York Public Library  12x12", Oil

   

New York Public Library  12x12", Oil

Lawn Loungers  8x8", Oil

The New York Public Library Lion ("Patience")   12x12," Oil

Blue Shirts  12x12," Acrylic

That is perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of urban landscapes. Especially when working "en plein air" in NYC. FYI, no one poses for you unless they are asleep. And if you can spot someone who hasn't had 5 cups of coffee and actually stays put for more than a minute or two, consider yourself lucky. Gotta capture that pose quickly!  I learned this last year when I was hired to stand outside on the busiest intersection of Manhattan, 42nd street and Fifth Avenue/Bryant Park, and paint the city sights - en plein air. No safety nets - such as photos, pre-location scouting, protection from the elements (or the crowds). Just stand there and paint whatever. Often I did 2 paintings per day, in oil or acrylic.  It was a wonderful opportunity to take those moving, grooving, hustling New Yorkers and quickly incorporate them into a painting. The trick is getting the gesture and "shorthand" right.

Luckily, in my upcoming "Paint NYC" workshop, we will be painting "en plein studio", in the comfort of the National Academy of Design which is directly across the Street from the Guggenheim Museum and Central Park. The participants will work from photos - theirs or mine - so no need for rushing to capture those moving figures. We will work on gesture, composition and design, simplifying buildings, perspective and... cars! Yes, what is a city without cars? (Hint: if you don't get the cars right, they look like something out of a cartoon book.) The shorthand I will teach about painting figures and cars will help you add them to your paintings with ease.

So, if you want to learn how to capture the energy of New York City, register today for this workshop from May 19-23, 2014. But don't wait - registration ends very soon! If you are considering it, better call today and let your intentions be known. Hope you can join us for this unique city experience.

Click here for more info at Sedona Art Center or call 928.282.3809.

PS - btw, when I say no protection from the crowds, I'm not joking...

Let's Paint NYC in May!

57th Street Dusk  Oil  10x12"

I will be teaching a "Paint the NYC Urban Landscape" workshop from May 19 - 23 sponsored by the Sedona Arts Center. The agenda will be simplifying detail, learning to put gestural figures in street scenes, learning "shorthand" for painting cars and crowds, combining limited values for drama and more.

Capture the energy, excitement and colors of NYC - in person and in paint! For more information and registration click here.

Fruit Fest Demo

Fruit Fest  Acrylic 10x10" Purchase Information

 I'm in Cary, North Carolina teaching a "Loosen up!" Painting workshop with a fantastic group of gals. There are a lot of wild women in this group, who apparently have been wanting to let loose, and thats just what they are doing - with fresh, unexpected color combinations and exciting brushwork.  Here is my demo from yesterday, and a photo of the class. 

Yellow Tulips

"Yellow Tulips"  8x8" Acrylic   Buy Now

Just returned from my recent workshop in Carmel CA at Carmel Visual Arts. I had a great group of 17 students who went from 0 to 90 mph in 3 days. The progress they made in so short a timeframe was stunning. We started the workshop with value simplification studies, moved on to methods for creating interesting brushwork (in fewer strokes) and finished off with 15 minute paintings.  I'll be returning to teach an intensive 5 day workshop November 3-7 2014. Interested? Better sign up now - its already starting to fill. Other topics to be covered: Color theory, color mixing, working with color schemes, creating colorful greys, and much more.  This time I'm going to allow for more chill time in Carmel - it is heaven on earth... and a great gallery town.